Cambridge IELTS 19 Test 1 Writing Task 1: Social Centre Graph
Cambridge IELTS 19 · Test 1 · Academic Writing Task 1Line graph
The line graph shows how many people took part in five activities (film club, martial arts, amateur dramatics, table tennis and musical performances) at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia, between 2000 and 2020. Figures are numbers of participants, given at five-year intervals.
The question
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. The graph below gives information on the numbers of participants for different activities at one social centre in Melbourne, Australia for the period 2000 to 2020. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.
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Key features to report
- The film club is the most popular activity in every year shown, staying in a narrow range: about 64 participants in 2000, a low of 60 in 2010 and a high of about 66 in 2020.
- Table tennis shows the most dramatic growth, rising from 16 participants in 2000 to 20 in 2005 and 2010, then surging to about 36 in 2015 and about 54 in 2020.
- Amateur dramatics is the only activity in clear long-term decline: it rises slightly from about 26 to 28 between 2000 and 2005, then falls steadily to 20 in 2010, 14 in 2015 and just 6 in 2020.
- Martial arts fluctuates but ends where it started, at about 36 participants, after a dip to 32 in 2005, a peak of about 38 in 2010 and a fall to about 34 in 2015.
- Musical performances have no participants at all in 2000 and 2005, then grow to 12 in 2010, about 16 in 2015 and about 18 in 2020.
- Several lines cross: table tennis overtakes martial arts in 2015 to become the second most popular activity, and musical performances overtake amateur dramatics in the same year.
Model overview
Overall, the film club was the most popular activity throughout the period, with fairly stable numbers, and martial arts also changed little in the long term. The most striking trends were the sharp rise in table tennis and the steady fall in amateur dramatics, while musical performances grew gradually from a starting point of zero.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the task in one sentence: the line graph compares the number of people taking part in five activities at a social centre in Melbourne at five-year intervals from 2000 to 2020.
- 2
Overview
Without figures, state that the film club was always the most popular, martial arts was broadly stable, table tennis rose sharply, amateur dramatics declined steadily and musical performances started from zero.
- 3
Body paragraph 1: the stable activities
Describe the film club (about 64 in 2000, a low of 60 in 2010, about 66 in 2020) and martial arts (fluctuating between about 32 and 38 and ending at about 36, the same as in 2000).
- 4
Body paragraph 2: the activities that changed most
Describe table tennis rising from 16 to about 54 and overtaking martial arts in 2015, amateur dramatics peaking at 28 in 2005 and falling to 6, and musical performances growing from zero in 2005 to about 18 in 2020.
Useful comparisons
- Group the film club and martial arts together as the two activities whose numbers in 2020 were close to their 2000 levels.
- Contrast the two opposite trends: table tennis more than trebled, while amateur dramatics fell to less than a quarter of its 2005 peak.
- Highlight the crossing points: table tennis drew level with amateur dramatics at 20 in 2010 and overtook martial arts in 2015, and musical performances overtook amateur dramatics in 2015.
- Compare the rankings at the start and end: in 2000 the order was film club, martial arts, amateur dramatics, table tennis, musical performances, but by 2020 it was film club, table tennis, martial arts, musical performances, amateur dramatics.
- Note the gap between the leader and the rest: the film club stayed well ahead, although table tennis narrowed the gap to about 12 participants by 2020.
- Treat musical performances as a special case, since there were no participants until after 2005.
Band 8+ model answer
203 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
The line graph compares the number of people who took part in five activities at a social centre in Melbourne at five-year intervals between 2000 and 2020.
Overall, the film club was by far the most popular activity throughout the period, and its numbers remained relatively stable. The most striking changes were a dramatic rise in table tennis and a steady decline in amateur dramatics, while musical performances grew gradually from a starting point of zero.
The film club attracted about 64 participants in 2000, and after dipping slightly to 60 in 2010, it finished the period at its highest level of around 66. Martial arts was the second most popular activity until 2010, fluctuating between roughly 32 and 38 members before ending at about 36, the same figure as in 2000.
Table tennis, by contrast, had just 16 players in 2000 and 20 in both 2005 and 2010, but it then surged, overtaking martial arts in 2015 and reaching about 54 by 2020. Amateur dramatics followed the opposite path: after peaking at 28 in 2005, it dwindled continuously to only 6. Meanwhile, musical performances had no participants at all until 2005, but rose to 12 in 2010 and about 18 in 2020.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Achievement
- The answer opens with a clear overview of the stable leader and the main opposing trends, then supports each key feature with accurate figures, including the start and end points, the peaks and the crossing points, without listing every value.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- Activities are grouped logically, with the stable ones in one paragraph and the changing ones in another, and linkers such as by contrast, followed the opposite path and meanwhile make the comparisons easy to follow.
- Lexical Resource
- Varied trend vocabulary such as dipping slightly, fluctuated, surged, more than trebled and dwindled avoids repetition, and the topic is paraphrased with took part, attracted and members.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- The answer uses past tenses consistently and combines them with participle clauses, relative clauses and comparative structures, all without noticeable errors.
Useful vocabulary
- participants
- people who take part in an activity
- take part in
- join or do an activity, a useful paraphrase of participate
- at five-year intervals
- measured every five years
- remain relatively stable
- change only a little over time
- fluctuate
- go up and down irregularly
- surge
- rise suddenly and strongly
- more than treble
- become more than three times as large
- decline steadily
- fall continuously at a fairly even rate
- peak at
- reach the highest point before falling
- dip to
- fall slightly to a lower figure for a short time
- overtake
- rise above another activity's figure
- draw level with
- reach the same figure as another activity
- by far the most popular
- much more popular than any other option
- from a base of zero
- starting with no participants at all
Common mistakes
- Writing about percentages, when the graph shows the actual number of participants.
- Describing each of the five activities year by year in separate paragraphs, which produces a list of numbers with few comparisons.
- Missing the crossing points, especially table tennis overtaking martial arts in 2015, which is one of the key features.
- Saying that musical performances started in 2000 with a small number, when the graph shows zero participants in 2000 and 2005.
- Describing the film club as rising or falling sharply, when its numbers only varied between 60 and about 66.
- Leaving out an overview, or filling the overview with figures, which limits the Task Achievement score.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This line graph about participants in activities at a social centre in Melbourne is Writing Task 1 of Test 1 in Cambridge IELTS 19 Academic, published in 2023.
- Do I need to mention every figure on the graph?
- No. There are 25 data points, so choose the most important ones: the start and end values, the peaks and lows, and the points where lines cross.
- How should I group five lines in only two body paragraphs?
- Group them by trend. One paragraph can cover the activities that ended near their starting level, the film club and martial arts, and the other can cover those that changed most: table tennis, amateur dramatics and musical performances.
- How many words should I write for this Task 1?
- Write at least 150 words; around 170-200 words is enough to give an overview and the key comparisons in about 20 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.